Copyright Decision Tree
The Copyright Decision Tree provides steps to determine whether you can use a copyright protected work in the way you would like to, both for teaching and for other purposes. Use this in conjunction with other information on this website.
The table below can help you determine whether and how you can share a resource with your students. You should start at the top and work your way down until you find the appropriate tier for your resource.
No matter where your resource appears in the table, you should always cite your source.
| Restrictions | Resources | Action |
|---|---|---|
|
None |
Insubstantial portions (½ page or less) U.S. government publications Your own works Public domain materials |
Copy and share these materials without worry. |
|
Few |
Materials licensed by the library Open access publications |
You can usually share these materials with your students, but we recommend using links. Use CLEAR to check the permitted uses for library resources. |
|
Some |
Online materials |
You can usually share these materials with your students, but we recommend using links. You must also ensure that:
|
|
Many |
Materials not licensed by the library Works not freely available online |
You may be able to share short excerpts of these works with your students. See the Centennial College Fair Dealing Policy to ensure that you stay within the fair dealing limits, or contact us about negotiating copyright permissions for more substantial copying. |